Courting Darkness
by xQueen Nothingx
Summary: Orris & Selena are the last two Cheshire cats alive, and Voldemort is hunting them. But his schemes will extend well beyond the two sisters as they quest, unlocking crypts, facing history's villains, and journey to the bowels of the earth to traverse an ancient labyrinth. In her effort to rebel against Hogwarts, Orris finds someone to give her pause where she least expects him.
1. Prologue: The Capture of Orris

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of JK's world or anything else that's copyrighted in here. Just playin' for no profit!

A/N: More written than posted, so follow if you like it.** Updates WILL happen.** Well, enjoy the start of Orris' adventures into the realm of the wizarding world's banished and forgotten history! (and a bunch of Hogwarts in between!)

Prologue: The Capture of Orris.

"Tie her down." The Dark Lord hissed as his followers scrambled to contain a teenage girl with chocolate brown curls and piercing, golden eyes. Her face was round yet elegant, her lips twisted and marred by the ferocity of her snarl. The young woman was livid, turning savage at the slightest provocation.

"Let me go! I'll fucking kill each and every one of you if I have to!" She screamed and kneed a death eater in the groin, willing to do anything to escape the clutches of such an evil man. She had not been so successful with the last one, as she was passed around the camp for the assembled frights to rip and tear at in their wild frenzy, tears swelling her face as she cried for them to stop.

Goyle immediately released her and dropped his wand in order to cradle his tender parts, knowing he would be punished the moment the feisty beast picked it up. Somewhere far away another commotion broke out, shouts and screams echoing through the gathering.

"Imbeciles! Restrain her! Where is her sister?" Voldemort hissed, looking around for an identical girl in the fray.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" The girl screamed, voice rolling through the masses of death eaters like a wave. She tore at the weedy rope surrounding her neck, frustration and panic clear on her face.

The Dark Lord laughed and watched her struggle with glee in his eye, raising his wand to subdue her.

"Voldemort!" She roared, pointing the wand at her neck.

The Dark Lord hissed and readied a spell, but it was too late. His world began to spin with anger as the wet sound of her restraints hit the ground. The spell broken with the rope, she would dematerialize herself in seconds.

Golden eyes met red, and it seemed as if time stood still.

"Get bent." And she was gone. Silence was all the remained in her wake, quickly replaced by the uneasy mutterings of the assembled death eaters.

"Were sorry, my lord, we didn't expect her to fight like a muggle." The elder Malfoy said, bowing deep in apology.

"Silence." The snake-like man commanded, "To say that I am angry with all of you would be too few words, and weak ones at that. I want you to bring me _both_ of the girls. They never stray far from each other, so if you find one you find the other. Cover every inch of them with the ropes, if you have to. Bind them so tight it tears the flesh! Do what it takes, for there is no room for failure! Failure will be PUNISHED!"

Voldemort practically roared, sending the assembly into a shocked and fearful silence.

"Why are they special, My Lord?" Goyle asked as carefully as he could.

"Why? They are the last Cheshire cats alive!" Voldemort replied in a deadly low tone, causing Goyle take an involuntary step back.

"I-I thought they died out in the eighteenth century, sir." The poor oaf stuttered.

"Crucio." The dark lord seemed almost absentminded as left his follower to writhe in agony.

"Dumbledore is sure to have someone watching them." The younger Malfoy interjected, instigating a collective murmur of speculation.

"He doesn't know they exist. For once, the old fool is oblivious." Voldemort assured, joy lacing the strained hiss of his voice.

"Yes, he does." A slow, deep voice rose from among the crowd. A death eater with long black hair had just joined the group, soaking wet with rain.

Voldemort hissed and cursed the old wizard. But this was no matter, he would simply have to call on more of his wit for this endeavor.

"Yes," he purred, "a challenge."


	2. 1: Twins, Running Amok

Chapter 1: Twins, running amok.

"He needs to die." I stated.

"Yeah, Lord Moldybutt really has to go." Selena, my sister, agreed.

"And that gook they used to bind me! It smelled like someone peed in a rag and let it fester for months! Lucky you got away in time. Although it was bloody stupid, going in after me." I reprimanded.

"What? Do you think I'd just abandon you?" She questioned.

"Good point." I conceded, "And it was hilarious watching you set all those people on fire, even if I wasn't there to directly witness it."

"Yeah," she said, cocking her head to the side, "I really do love doing that. Almost as much as I love putting rotten tuna fish in people's shoes."

"Or other places." I said conspiratorially.

Selena grinned and nodded her head.

"Its been a while though." She added thoughtfully.

"Too long?" I questioned.

"Of course, Orris! You know, that mailman said some nasty things the other day, and I do know where he lives." She mused.

"I set some out this morning to fester, it should be ready in about a week. That gives us enough time to do a few things with it before we're off to Hogwarts." I revealed.

"Yeah. I can't wait. I'm glad we have a change of scenery for our last year, instead of that hellhole they called Roget's School for Talented Witches." She said with distaste.

"Definitely. I hope that the students here are not so, disturbing." I remarked, shivering in disgust at the memory.

"Yeah, hopefully." She replied.

"I doubt it." I started laughing, dragging her in along with it.

"Yeah, me too!" She said between giggles.

XXXXXX

I sat alert to every sound and noise, watching for any sign that my sister and I could have been detected. The stirring of a curtain, a flicker of a light, or a face in the window!

"Sis! They saw us! Vanish quickly!" I cried.

Selena looked up at me from the bushes in front of the house. She presented an empty bucket, then dematerialized.

I let out a laugh and followed suit, getting great joy from the look on the post man's face as he stepped into rotten tuna fish. An instant later, I was in the cozy domain of the living room I shared with Selena.

"Did you get the job done?" I asked my sister.

"Yes." She said and smiled evilly.

"Good, where did you put it?" I questioned eagerly. The residual adrenaline in my veins made me even more excited, my cheeks hurting from the glow of my satisfaction.

"In the car, all up under the seats where they won't find it until the mold starts climbing. And right in front of the door, so they step in it first thing in the morning. And better yet, I threw some on the couch through the open window." Her grin was ear splitting. A good tuna fishing was always a special time in the Avanti household, the oldest tradition we had.

I mentally relayed the image of the man's face as he stepped in the foul paste.

Uncontrollable laughter bubbled up from inside me, and soon I was laughing manically right along beside Selena.

"Well, responsibility calls, sis." I sighed once the tide of laughter had subdued.

"You're right, see you in a flash." she replied, darting off to her room.

Thankfully packing wasn't so hard for a witch or a wizard. Surveying the room, I fixed an image of my things fitting themselves carefully into the Hogwarts trunk I had bought a week earlier.

"Pack." I commanded, pointing my wand at the trunk. Immediately my mental image came to fruition, the room seeming foreign without it's cozy decor.

A knock sounded on the door. First it was timid, then grew in volume. Then the pattern changed into a whimsical tune, the opening of the door interrupting the big finale.

"Come _on_ sis! I'm starving!" Selena urged.

"Fine, which restaurant?" I questioned, rolling my eyes at her impatience. Being hardly one to talk, I kept my mouth shut on the matter.

"A pizza place?" She offered.

I nodded my agreement, "I dunno how often we will get it once confined to the school."

"Well, I guess we can eat pizza whenever we want. We are Cheshire cats." She said coyly.

"Good point. I don't think this headmaster knows, so he can't put up wards like the last one did." I replied.

We both sat in silence for a minute as we contemplated the adventure lying before us. It had been a few years since Roget's, and that was only a temporary phase in our lives anyhow. How were we to fare at a more public school?

"Off to pizza, then to Hogwarts?" I asked, holding my elbow out and picking up my trunk.

Selena looped her arm through mine as we marched out of our apartment and onto the crowded streets. We walked into the local pizza shop and ordered a few slices and ate them in silence, the nerves finally setting in.

"What if this new school is worse than the last one?" Selena asked.

"I don't rightly know. I guess it just means we will have to be even more devious and horrible than we were at Roget's." I said and shrugged.

"I don't know about that, were pretty horrid already." She replied knowingly.

We truly were terrible during our time there, especially with the twin confusion aspect. We both had deep and lustrous brunette hair, paired with haunting golden eyes. The only physical differences between us were the scars.

"Sis, what are you thinking about?" Selena asked after a fashion.

"Nothing you want to hear about." I replied as I downed the rest of my water.

"Come on, were going to be late." I said. Selena nodded and followed me into the station.

"Now, is this going to be like our old school platform?" She asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." I replied. My gut churned with anxiety. Now that the time was so close, I was having second thoughts about school. We were doing just fine without the crappy slip of paper, anyway.

"Damn. I'm sick of running head on at brick walls." She sighed.

"Yeah well, were going to be there in about thirty seconds so you should brace yourself." I said.

"Already braced Sissy." Selena replied.

We walked cautiously through all the muggles, watching closely for any threats from the wizarding community. Somehow, Voldemort had learned that we were the last two surviving Cheshire cats, and has been sending his incompetent swine to capture us ever since. He even found out the one substance that can stop us from dematerializing all together.

Platforms nine and ten came into view. There was a brick wall between the two signs, the one through which we now had to run.

"On the count of three. One..." Selena began.

"Three." I finished and darted towards the wall, lugging my suitcase along the way.

A second later my ears were barraged by people shouting and screaming goodbye and the whistle of a train.

"Oi, loud!" My beloved sister commented as she came through, just a second behind.

"Tell me about it. Lets get on then, before all the good compartments are taken." I remarked flippantly.

It truly was difficult going. We definitely attracted a few heated glances as we pushed and shoved tearful parents and enthusiastic children from our path, though it was really their fault for standing right in the pathway. Once aboard the train, we had to hop from car to car in search of a compartment not filled with first and second years.

"Spacious." Selena commented as we finally found a place to sit.

"Indeed, but there's a guy in here." I remarked, inspecting the disheveled looking man sitting up against the window.

"Really? Oh, his suitcase says Remus Lupin." She said, eye him up a bit.

"Interested?" I questioned playfully.

"I think hes sound asleep." She concluded, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly we were aware of the train slowing down, then stopping. An icy cold penetrated the train, stealing the warmth from out very hearts.

"Dementors." Selena and I whispered to each-other.

Angry voices quieted in the hallway, followed by the entrance of three younger students. They looked at us, irritation still plainly displayed on their features.

"May we please sit with you?" The girl asked, voice polite. The red haired boy next to her was obviously frightened, and for good reason.

"Well, when you ask like that, yes." I said teasingly, lifting some of the tension in the air. The feeling was short lived, one by one the lamps flickered out and the deadly chill grew in intensity.

An assortment of images assaulted my mind. Vaguely I registered a looming, cloaked figure hovering in the doorway. It seemed to be feeding off of the dark haired boy that had joined our group.

_A dementor, it's on the train!_ Fighting it's hold, I lifted my wand. A creature such as this would not be the end of _me_!

"Expecto Patronum!" A man's voice roared in harmony with my own.

The dementors were beaten back under the barrage of patronus charms. The lights on the train returned, and our strange group was left to look at each-other in confusion. Remus Lupin quickly attended the dark haired boy as the girl struggled for something to say. I decided to beat her to it.

"I'd like to see how the ministry tries to explain _that_."


	3. 2: Exposed

Chapter 2: Exposed

"You look ridiculous in that." I remarked as Selena put on the age-old sorting hat.

"You'll have your turn in a minute, sis. Just you wait." She shot back as the hat stirred and began mumbling traits of her personality.

"I believe you belong in...Ravenclaw!" It announced grandly.

"Ah, Ravenclaw. Truly a house of intelligence." Dumbledore explained.

Selena grinned and made to put the hat on my head, "I hope you're in the same house."

"Slytherin!" It declared immediately, then fell silent. I was stunned, how could I not be placed with my sister?

"Listen here, hat, I belong with Selena." I argued, looking at it's crinkled face in a nearby mirror.

"Orris, Don't get cross with the hat. It has made the right choice, rest assured." Dumbledore chided.

"How could it have? I belong by my sister's side. That is an absolute." I insisted, knowing this to be true. We were twins, grew up together, and had a psychic link. How could we possibly belong in different houses?

"This hat was enchanted by the very witches and wizards that created this school. Who's magic could could better judge?" Selena reminded. She conveyed mentally that she didn't like it, either, but we could just materialize in the other's room at any time.

With a defeated sigh, I resigned myself to staring crossly at my shoes.

"Orris, I hear you are going to take your Mastery of Potions exam in a few weeks?" Dumbledore questioned, though it was more of a statement.

"Yes. I will be the youngest certified potions master if I pass, which I will." I replied.

"Oh, good! Our potions professor, Severus Snape, is quite talented. How would you like extra lessons, to prepare?" He suggested, eyes alight.

I nodded gratefully, knowing I could at least learn something. It would also be good to stay on task, as my interests tended to stray from anything likely to be in the exam.

"And you, Selena, are taking your Mastery of Magical Creatures exam as well?" the old man asked my sister.

A warm smile crossed Selena's face as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Then you may study under Professor Hagrid. I believe you will find his skills quite impressive." Dumbledore finished.

"Now, I believe that it is time-" He was interrupted by a rapt knock on the door.

An anxious looking woman with wild hair strode into the room, walking straight up to me. She took my hand in her own and began to mutter some sort of divination spell.

"Excuse me, but who exactly are you?" I asked the woman, jerking my hand away as her nails started to pinch into the flesh.

"That is Professor Trelawney." A cold voice said from the doorway.

I looked up to see a dark haired man in black robes looking at the woman, Trelawney, in distaste.

"Professor, what are you trying to do?" My voice was skeptical as I ripped my hand away from her for the third time.

"I must see your aura, Orris." She said very gravely.

"How did you know my name?" I asked suspiciously, taking a step back as she tried to initiate contact once more.

"I have seen you coming, and disaster following you here, my dear." She replied darkly.

"Orris, let her see your palm." The man commanded, curling his lip slightly.

His voice was oddly familiar. When he entered the room a burst of energy scorched through the dark mark on my forearm. Was this man a death eater, in Hogwarts?

I was about to refuse and tack on an insult when Dumbledore caught my attention with a small nod. I sighed and extended my palm, which the professor took and looked over with a frown.

"Death follows you, and you embrace it. Why? It will lead you to destruction. You've let your heart darken, your pain to consume you. And he knows this, he will use this to-" She started but I cut her off, violently ripping my hand out of her grasp.

"This is madness." I declared and glared at her. Her words evoked a strong reaction from me, I had to keep from trembling.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named hunts you." She started again.

"You don't know a thing about me." I felt like a cornered animal, laid out on a muggle lab table while the professors scrutinized my reaction.

"Orris, is this true?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

I turned to look him in the eye, feeling the gravity of their thoughts drag me down. "Yes." I breathed, not daring to take my eyes from Dumbledore. Subconsciously, I shifted closer to Selena.

"He will not stop, his hunger will never subside. He will be your end." Professor Trelawney continued, still latched onto my arm with a cold vice grip.

Utterly taken aback, I withdrew my arm in horror. Voldemort, my end? There was no way, I would not let that happen. But what if the seer's words were true? Would he also be my sister's end? A cold fear stole over my heart, a feeling I quickly banished-it had no place here.

"Stop it, can't you see she doesn't want your predictions?" Selena defended.

In this moment, I was truly grateful for my sister. The woman's words had somehow penetrated deep, slowing my thoughts as they echoed through my mind. What was I going to do? How would I even begin to answer that question?

"This is madness." I mumbled, not able to dodge the raving bat this time. She tugged my sleeve up to reveal the dark mark on my forearm.

"You haven't told anyone, have you? Oh, child." She soothed, looking up at me sympathetically, to my horror.

"Sis?" Selena questioned, taken aback.

Now every face in the room was turned towards me. My sister's was the hardest to meet, for she was the one person in the room to whom I owed the explanation. It had been such a shock, such an overwhelming defeat that I found I could not speak of it, swallowing against it every day.

"It happened a few weeks ago when I didn't come home for a few days." I murmured so only she would hear, knowing that she would understand exactly what I was talking about.

I felt a push at my mind, somebody no doubt using Occlumency. I whipped my head up to see the dark haired man muttering Legilimens under his breath, his wand pointed in my direction.

I snapped him out angrily and his eyes widened for a second in surprise.

"Stop." I commanded firmly, narrowing my eyes and locking gazes with him. The act felt dangerous, as this was school and he was a professor. That fact didn't allow him to invade my mind, I knew so, and thus did not regret my actions.

"Stop what?" He asked softly, pacing further into the room.

My mark twitched again, this time a strange but delightful sensation sweeping my body. With a jolt, I realized that it was in reaction to his magic. He was the one who marked me.

"I felt you brush against my mind, and observed you muttering Legilimens. You were out of line and extremely invasive." I stated point blank, unprepared to react to the realization hammering through my thoughts.

"Miss Avanti, I don't believe _you_ are in the position to tell _me_ what is or isn't appropriate." Professor Snape shot back hotly.

"Severus, give the girl room to breathe." Dumbledore snapped, his normally light tone now severe. The old wizard took two swift strides to stand before me, "Orris, these are dark times. We cannot afford to hear anything besides the truth."

Though his tone was gentle, I felt as if he had knocked me over with words alone.

"Do you have a pensieve?" Selena asked, covering for me as I floundered.

Memories accosted me as I struggled to find something to say. My throat had gone bone dry, my eyes unable to leave the face of the devil who condemned me.

"Are you suggesting we use it?" Dumbledore asked, sounding far away.

It seemed as if we were puppets in a play, strings commanding my hand to my temple. I squeezed my eyes shut, summoning the painful memory.

XX

"Severus, hold her down and mark her." Voldemort hissed as I thrashed and ripped at my throat, the concoction impeding me from completely dematerializing out of their custody.

"Get your hands off of me!" I screamed at the masked figure as it cast a binding spell on me, rolling my sleeve to the elbow.

I desperately tried to dematerialize, but only managed to fade a little.

"A lively one." Fenrir Greyback remarked with a chuckle.

"Stop! I command you!" I shouted, voice sending a deep resonance of my will rippling through the crowds. I had just discovered this ability, and hoped fiercely that it would get me out of this situation.

My words were to no avail.

Voldemort hissed in excitement, "Oh, Harry will not slip from my grasp again!"

"Please." I beseeched my captor.

"Silence, you insufferable girl." He commanded.

His voice was deep and slow, each syllable carefully rolling from tantalizing lips. _Aren't devils supposed to be handsome?_ I thought ironically, twisting a piece of muggle lingo.

Pain seared into my arm as the vile mark crawled it's way across my skin. Smoke rose in curling tendrils, causing me to choke on my own burning flesh.

"You bastard." I seethed, riding the adrenaline rush to remove his charm with wordless magic. I punched him in the face, breaking his nose, and grabbed his wand out of his hand. In a second, I was surrounded by the quiet fog that enshrouded my current dwelling. My chest heaved, I felt as if I could not breathe oxygen into my system. Shivers ran up and down my body as I surveyed the curse that was now my reality. He got me.

XX

The room was silent as the professors contemplated what they had just witnessed.

"Orris, I could not have refused." Snape finally broke the tension. His voice had a hard quality to it, as if it was costing him a great deal to mask his emotions.

Tears immediately welled up behind my eyes as I contemplated the possibility that he, too, was a victim of Voldemort's evil schemes. I thought about all the terrible things I had witnessed, all the rumors I had heard. To be an unwilling part of his flock, to be coerced into doing his bidding time and time again, was unthinkable.

"I forgive you." I breathed.


	4. 3: Classes

Chapter 3

A jarring pain suddenly startled me into the waking world. Adrenaline faded from my veins as I realized that I wasn't running for my life.

"Sissy. Wake. Up," Selena said, smacking me lightly across the cheek.

"What is it?" I moaned, forcing myself to sit and survey my surroundings.

"Its time to go to class. You're lucky its right down the hall, or we would be late. Now, get the hell up before you get us detention!" She exclaimed, unable to keep the excited tone from her voice.

"Crap!" I exclaimed, jumping from the bed and undressing at the same time. Landing awkwardly, I tossed a uniform into the air and let it settle onto my body like a giant nightgown.

"Here," Selena shoved my bag, magically packed, into my arms. Without further ado, we began to hurry from the Slytherin dormitory.

"Wait, why are we running? We can just materialize there," I stopped Selena, shaking my head at our lack of judgment.

"Yeah, you're right," She giggled, fading before my eyes.

I immediately followed suit, not wanting to get left behind, appearing outside the classroom in seconds. With a shared nervous glance, we pushed open the doors.

Of course everyone was already seated, every desk occupied by at least one person. This meant that Selena and I would have to split up.

"I'll take the front," I volunteered.

"Fine, I really don't feel like paying close attention anyway. Nothing useful ever happens the first day," Selena remarked, sniffing and re-arranging an armful of books.

"Since this is Advanced Potion Making, each of you are students that have already excelled at the art. Today you will be making a love potion," Severus drawled as he entered the classroom.

"Now, this is not a frivolous assignment. Any potions dealing with the heart are dangerous, and will go wrong at the slightest miscalculation. You have until the end of the second hour, starting now. Orris, Selena," he added with irritation, drawing the attention of the entire class towards us, "Since you both are ill prepared, you may use two of the spare copies located in the storeroom."

Feeling abashed, my sister and I made our way towards the back of the room. As I drew closer to Professor Snape, the same jolt of energy began at my mark and ricocheted through the rest of my body.

We locked eyes as I passed, and I knew then that he felt the same thing. Did he know what it meant? Would this happen with all of Voldemort's other servants?

"You can have the good one. I know how much condition means to you." Selena offered kindly, pulling me from my thoughts.

"No, its quite alright. They're hardcovers, and you know how I like old looking ones," I replied, taking the text on the very bottom just to prove my point.

"Fine, I won't fight you on this," She smiled, rolling her eyes at me, and returned to her seat.

I sighed and shook my head, closing the cabinet and returning to my own seat. I flipped to the index and scanned the names. Now I had to decide which type of love potion I would prefect this class. A destructive one, for sure. Excitement began to tickle my sleepy brain as I began working on a possible creation.

I chopped some walnut, to create infertility, adding it first to the boiling water. Next was Aster, to attract love. I cut up the flower of the plant, grinding it into a paste to improve its potency. It was time to let that simmer for a moment, stirring lightly. Next, I added some Vervain to decrease lust, but only a tad. Whomever drank this potion would get very excited, for absolutely no payout. I smiled as a brief image of a distressed man an an empty bed flashed across my vision.

After a half hour of stewing, I added Thistle to promote negativity and disorder, to clutter the relationship. After an hour of that, I crushed a crocus root and simmered it into the rosy liquid to cover up the ill vibrations of the potion, aiding the aster at the same time. Once the bubbling liquid was at the right color, I collected a small sample and lay it on the side of my desk. There were still some notes to finish, so I set about getting those in order. Hopefully, I would be able to catch a quick nap before the next class.

"Finished so soon, Orris?" Professor Snape sneered, peeking into my cauldron and picking up the sheet onto which I had written my procedure down carefully. Surprise flickered briefly across his face before the familiar sour curtain descended upon it once more.

"This potion is not in your book," he remarked.

"But it works," I defended quickly.

"Next time, use. Your. Book," He punctuated the last three words, baring down into my personal space.

I stood rigid where I was, having accidentally inhaled a lungful of his rich scent. The urge to kiss him warred with the impulse to make a rude comment as I stood before _my professor_.

His hair slid in front of his face, calling attention to the deep black color, it's folds seeming to suck in all the light. And his eyes were just as dark, though they took on a haunting intensity at his close proximity.

"Of course." I replied, secretly wondering exactly what the hell was wrong with me. He was my professor, _the one who marked me_. If anything, I should be seeking to destroy him.

The sardonic man simply lifted one elegant brow and turned on his heel, footsteps as quick and graceful as a bird as he returned to his desk with my potion in hand.

I sighed and idly flipped through the pages of the book, frowning when I saw jaggedly elegant handwriting along the borders, making it impossible to distinguish what was printed and what was written.

"Property of the Half-Blood Prince," I murmured as I read the inscription on the back cover.

"Come on sis, you can read the stupid textbook later. We have to get to our next class," Selena prodded.

"Alright. What do you have next?" I asked, packing my bag with the flick of my wand.

"Charms," She replied with a smile.

"Your best subject, next to Care of Magical Creatures," I commented.

"Yeah, I just hope I have a good teacher," She remarked.

"Hey, who's wand is that?" Slena questioned, noticing the small detail for the first time.

"I completely forgot, I was so shocked at seeing Severus yesterday that it slipped my mind to ask for my wand back," I shook my head, rolling the wand between my fingers.

"So, you have our potion professor's wand?" Selena laughed, then frowned, "I'm sorry sis, this isn't a joking matter. We can go get it back before lunch, if you want."

"No, I want _him_ to approach _me,_" I declared on a whim, a smug smile crossing my face.

Selena shook her head, "Mark my words, that is a bad idea."

XX

"How were your classes?" Selena asked as I came to sit at her table.

"They were a snore. But hey, you know that potions book I got, the tattered one?" I quickly fired, excitement bringing out the richness of our accent.

"Yeah?" She wondered, gnawing slowly on a hunk of lettuce.

"Well, someone by the alias of 'The Half-Blood Prince' has jotted notes and spells in it. Whoever this guy is, he is _extremely_ brilliant," I explained in a rush.

"What kind of spells?" She had moved onto a carrot now, and tackled it with the same slow perseverance.

I shook my head at her, hiding a small smile, "Must you always eat like a chipmunk?"

She laughed and then returned to her veggie carnage, "Yes."

I rolled my eyes and then continued, "Look at this spell here. Sectumsempra, it's an offensive spell that severely lacerates the skin."

"Not interested sissy. You know how I feel about dark spells like that." She said, giving me the look she used when the subject was closed for discussion.

"It is not dark, just painful." I replied, despite knowing it was a lost cause.

"Whatever you say, sissy, whatever you say." she dismissed, returning to her food.

Not wanting to instigate a disagreement, I just shrugged and flipped open the book. Once I had finished my page, I noticed a small stanza scrawled into the bottom corner:

_Alone at last,_

_I lay in slumber,_

_with indescribable joy,_

_I meet my match._

I looked it over two or three times. It was simple, but spoke volumes of the prince's pain. Whomever he was, his heart wept from great sorrow. With a mind like his, I could only hope he didn't get his wish, though I did understand it. I sighed inwardly and traced the words with my fingers, longing to know the one who wrote them.

"A book came for you in the mail today. It looks like your owl got killed again trying to deliver it, this one was all different," Selena said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Really, which one?" I asked, only lamenting the loss of my owl slightly. Normally, I loved owls in all their feathery cuteness. However, when you're always tracking down things that shouldn't exist, you lost more than less.

"Adler Veronica's _Nightmares for a Fiend,_" She replied and tossed me the book.

"Thanks, I've been waiting for it for ages. Not even Borgin and Burkes had it, I had to track it down in Brazil and have an unknown contact send it to me from there, since the entire magical world declared it destroyed. More than a hundred copies still remain, though," I said and flipped through the pages eagerly, looking for any spells that jumped out.

Ah, there was one, _Eliastrom_. It was a spell that would give your enemy visions of their worst fears, twisted and more horrible than they could have imagined on their own. And another, _Versalionus_, which made your foe feel a thousand daggers in his body for as long as you maintained the spell, but there would be no proof or damage once you broke it.

"Is it as good as you expected?" Selena asked politely.

"I believe so, but no telling until I read it cover to cover," I replied with a nod.

"Just be careful," She replied, rising from the table to make her way back to classes.

I had a free period after lunch, so I stayed in the great hall, flicking through my new book for a potion to try. There was an interesting one called _The Tower of Babble,_ which would make the one who drank it speak a different language to each person he met for an entire day.

Alright, I had to find some ripe persimmon and fresh agaric, and track down some bloodroot. That should prove rather easy, all I had to do was materialize in the forest and find them, and be back in a half hour for my next class.

A terrible grin crossed my face as I contemplated my first mischievous act at Hogwarts. What a grand year it would be!

XX

"Quiet down!" McGonagall shouted as she stalked into the room, wearing a severe expression on her face.

"Turn in your text to page sixty-five. You may begin this lesson by mastering the process of turning a frog into a cat," She spat and exited the room, something obviously bothering her.

I scratched my chin and exchanged glances with my sister. A frog into a cat, alright.

I spun my wand over the frog, quickly fumbling the intricate pattern. Soon, a small purr erupted next to me. Turning, I discovered that it was coming from my sister's frog, still green and slimy.

"Well, I was partially successful, at least," She joked. Turning to her frog once more, she sternly muttered the spell and flicked her wrist this way and that. With a sickening crunch, the frog began to sprout teeth and fur.

Feeling a little behind the game, I concentrated once more. I muttered the right words, danced the right pattern, but my frog remained motionless. Frustrated now, I once more twirled my wand over the creature, using my mental will to wordlessly cast the spell.

The same wet grinding noises could be heard as bones extended. Moments later, a full grown tabby was sitting on my desk, looking back at me with eyes as golden as my own.

"Hey baby," I said and scratched behind its ears and under its chin, causing it to purr.

"How did you do that?" A girl asked. I looked over at her incredulously and took in her high blonde ponytail, the superior look in her face.

"I transfigured it," I said simply and shrugged, folding the cat in my arms and doting on it some more.

"But you didn't say anything, I watched you," she pressed.

"Yeah, its called wordless magic. If you haven't heard of it, there's a few excellent books in the library," I replied icily.

"You cheated!" She accused, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Now, now, just because someone is more intelligent than you doesn't mean they cheat. I know it must be a hard concept to wrap your little mind around, but I'm sure you'll get it, eventually," I said in a mockingly sympathetic tone.

"Don't you dare speak to me that way!" She screamed and pulled her wand out on me.

I just sighed and dropped the cat on the floor, watching it bold out the door and out of sight,"Put your wand away. You don't know what you're doing."

"Oh really, I just think you're afraid," She taunted and shot a stunning spell at me, missing entirely and giving the bloke beside me a good jolt.

"Fine. You asked for it," I smiled, "_Hellistric Perferandom Seduline Icramiano._"

I chanted, shadows curling out from my wand and shooting at her, breaking her shield charm and shoving her down in her seat, wrapping about her body in an icy blanket- one that was very much alive.

She started shivering, eyes wide with terror. Opening her mouth to scream, no sound issued from her tender throat, breath rising in a frosty cloud. Ice began to wind it's way through her hair, pieces falling off as she shook with fear.

I smirked and watched her anguish, pleased with my display of dominance.

"Who is afraid now?" I asked wickedly, ignoring the budding protest of the rest of the student body.

"Orris, what have you done?" McGonagall whispered as she frantically shouted the counter spell.

"She pulled her wand on me, so I bound her to the seat so she couldn't do any more harm," I said simply.

"Where did you learn that spell?" She asked, a weary look settling over her features.

"A wizard taught it to me during my travels," I lied.

"Well then, whoever taught it to you must have failed to mention that its dark and forbidden magic. I trust you will never use this again," she said and I forced a sincere look on my face.

"Sorry, sorry." I apologized humbly, trying not to laugh at how easily she would believe me. But then again, only my sister could tell when I was lying. I was extremely good at it.

The rest of the day passed in silence. All the other students were afraid to go near me, and many made jeering remarks and snide comments.

"Sissy, sissy, what did you do?" Selena asked, falling into step with me as we walked down the last flight of stairs.

"I used the _Hellistric_ spell on a girl. Nothing big," I said and shrugged.

"You know you could have used a more simpler spell," She chided.

"Sorry, that was just the first one that came to mind," I replied, trying to get the point across that I didn't want to talk about it.

"That's not very good, you know. You've got to remember the good spells first, dark spells last. You don't want to be like Lord Moldybutt do you?" She lectured.

"No, but you know I'm a dark witch regardless. It just feels right, you know? Not like all this do-the-right-thing-and-be-a-weakling deal that everyone is into, now they think the world is safe. Well, it's not, the dangers are just better at hiding!" I ranted.

"Whatever floats your boat. What do you want to do on this fine Tuesday afternoon?" She asked, tactfully changing the subject.

"Well, its five now, so that leaves me two hours of freedom. Do you want to gather herbs from the forest?" I asked and she nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'd like to see what they have wild here." She agreed as we took a turn that would lead us into an empty corridor so we could dematerialize.

"Theres wahoo." I said.

"Wahoo, hahaha that's funny. Are you going to rub the infusion on someone's forehead and scream WAHOO! Seven times?" She asked and I shook my head.

"No, I'm going to use it as a poison, or just hoard it. Either or." I shrugged.

"Who are you going to poison?" She asked.

"Probably that caretaker's cat. I don't like hurting animals but that thing is positively corrupted and is a general nuisance to the rule breaker," I explained.

"Please do, that thing barfed on my shoes last night when I went to take a pee! And then that caretaker Filch came hobbling along and tried to hit me over the head with his walking stick!" She exclaimed indignantly.

"Well it's still a kitty cat. Maybe we should just give it some tuna fish and get it on our side," I shrugged.

"Yeah, I would still feel bad even though it deserves it. Its just too hard to hurt an animal," She replied.

"So where then?" She asked, referring to the place we would materialize.

"Right behind the grounds-keeper's hut, okay?" I asked, picking a place I knew she would know.

"You got it," She said and disappeared, but I could still feel her presence linger a moment before sweeping out through the window. I followed suit after making sure I had a few pouches to store the herbs.

"So, how is your Half-Blood Prince book? Fallen in love with him any more?" Selena teased once I had materialized at her side.

"Shut it sis. And yeah I have read more, and I'm not infatuated. After all, he could be completely different now, or dead, or fat, bald, and stinky. Oooo look! Some Damiana!" I explained and then bent down to harvest the herb used for lust and visions.

"Come on you loon. Lets go farther in before we're seen," She sighed and wandered further into the forest.

"Fine." I said and strolled in after her, collecting an herb here or there, managing to obtain the rest of the ingredients for the Tower of Babble potion.

"Sis..." Selena whispered ominously, poking me in the arm and then laughing.

"What is it?" I whispered back, going along with it.

"What time were those lessons of yours?" She asked.

"Seven, why?" I replied, cocking a brow.

"Because it is now six fifty-five," She said, giving me a you-better-dematerialize-fast look.

"Oh," I replied and dematerialized, appearing again in front of Professor Snape's room. And just my luck, he was coming out of the room just in time to miss my materialization.

"Good evening Orris. I was starting to think you had forgotten about our lessons," He drawled slowly, pausing here and there.

"No, I'm five minutes early. If you wanted me to come sooner, you should have said so," I replied tartly.

"Well, I'll keep that in mind for Thursday," He said, mocking me as he stepped back into the classroom.

I followed him, instantly getting hit by the smell of the Amortentia potion. I could smell books, a thunderstorm, sweat and violence, sunlight on grass...

"Amortentia, smells lovely," I commented.

"It was confiscated from a girl earlier today." He explained, obviously not wanting to take credit for the brew.

"I happened across her when she was making it, too. Shes desperate for that Harry Potter character, its quite pathetic," I remarked truthfully. The girl had been quite disturbed to be discovered, holding me up with idle chit chat when all I wanted to do was pee.

Severus' mouth twitched into what I swore was a smile, though it was gone before it was even in place. "Since I do not yet know what your skill level is, you will choose which potion you will be brewing today," He directed sternly.

"Felix Felicis perhaps, but that's not the trickiest. Professor, if its purely for academic purposes may I brew the Dementia's Kiss potion?" I asked.

Professor Snape turned from some papers he was gathering and looked at me with a stunned expression."Purely for academic purposes and you mustn't leave with it in any quantity," He replied tersely.

I nodded, taking out the ingredients and lining them up according to the order they get put in. I mentally went over the recipe in my head and smiled. This was going to be a challenge, but then again the challenging potions were always the best. I waited until the water was boiling and then picked up a sprig of Mimosa and took out my wand.

"_Imitlora Destolic,_" I muttered over it, reversing its protective and loving properties into hatred and destruction. I made a few slashes in the leaves and gently bruised them with the tip of my knife so the juices released better, tied them together by the stems, and pushed them to the bottom of the potion immediately so the convection would disperse it evenly and quickly. I held it there for a second, watching the water darken a moment until I felt I could move on to the next step.

I took out three Mastic leaves, the potion called for four but for some reason three just felt better, and minced them before throwing them all in at once. Next was Knotweed, so the person under the influence of the potion would feel bound and trapped in their current place of residence, which would eventually lead to isolation. Long procedure short, I now chopped up the final ingredient, hemlock, which will destroy the drinker's passions, for love and life.

"Step back please." I asked Snape softly, glancing over my shoulder to watch him as he watched me.

He nodded and returned to his desk, casting a shield charm and watching me intently. I picked up a henbane mixture and flicked it in, making sure the spoon was still stirring. I blocked the smoke of the explosion with a quick charm, and threw in the hemp seeds just before the miniature mushroom cloud was done forming. I grabbed the spoon and stirred it counterclockwise for thirty seconds before stirring it clockwise for twenty.

"Implexit forthus derandum inquisivor," I muttered as the liquid bubbled dangerously then suddenly settled into perfect calm. I turned the burner off and sighed in satisfaction. I had successfully made the potion.

Severus rose gracefully from his seat, his hair swaying about his sallow yet handsome face, the delicate pink of his lips contrasting the severe set of his features. He crossed the room in a few quick strides and came to stand across the table from me, transfiguring a leaf into a rat and dropping a bit of the potion down its throat. He looked me square in the eyes as he dropped the now squealing animal onto the table and listened to it scurry around and go mad before rolling over and becoming still.

"Perfect," he said, his voice a gentle caress.

I smiled in satisfaction, of course it was perfect. I was an expert at potions, specifically ones with malicious intent. I was a bit patchy at love potions, and the ones that deal with the lighter emotions. When I wasn't in the mood to make them, of course.

"So perfect that it leads me to believe you've made this before. Or perhaps that you do not require my assistance, after all." He continued, making my heart skip a beet. I did not want him going about telling the other professors that I was brewing darkly.

"You asked for a demonstration of my skill level, so I showed you," I replied curtly and watched as a sneer crossed his face.

"Very well. I want you to brew-" He began, but stopped short. I knew why. A searing pain erupted on my forearm as I felt the dark mark writhe on my arm, stronger than every before. That's one thing I noticed, that it got worse each time I ignored it. I clutched at my arm, leaning on the table and attempting to compose myself.

"Wonder what he wants with you now." I sighed and looked up into Snape's dark eyes, in which mental agony was written clear as day.

"What troubles you?" I asked gently, imploringly, feeling for all the world some eternal entity wondering at a marvelous middle aged man, in his prime, seeming more beautiful than an army of ceramic children flush with their overabundance of life. My heart swelled and constricted as if bound up in my chest and I sighed sadly as I watched an array of emotions cross his face.

"Your lesson is over, you are dismissed." He said turning away from my gaze. A second later, he was gone.


End file.
